Receptacle opener



N0 24, 1942- H. E. FRANKENBERG 2,303,205

RECEPTACLE OPENER Filed June 1,1940` 4a 2z A Jig-7 Z6 46 Iv HE'ankene727 o INVENTOR ATTOR YS Patented Nov. 24, 1942 RECEPTACLE OPENER HenryE. Frankenberg, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Owens-Illinois Can Company, acorporation of Delaware Application June 1, 1940, Serial No. 338,389

(Cl. B-43) 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements 1n can openers of thelever type adapted for lifting and removing friction lids fromreceptacles and more particularly to an opener adapted to be permanently-attached to the lid.

Friction type lids are usually emplo-yed on Another object of theinvention is to provide cf.

a lid lifter secured to the peripheral bead of a friction type lid andoverlying it whereby said lifter in no way obscures or otherwise hidesany printing or identifying marking on the lid.

A further object is the provision of an opener which is relativelyinexpensive to manufacture and is readily applicable to either single,double or full friction type plugs or lids.

4Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed outhereinafter.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a receptacle having a fullfriction type lid to which my invention is applied.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the lifter in inoperative or closedposition.

Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof.

Fig.. 4 is a sectional end view of the lifter taken substantially online 4 4 o-f Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a similar 'view of the lifter shown applied to a singlefriction type lid.

Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate a modified form of my invention; Fig. 6 being aside view thereof and Fig. 7 is an end view of the lifter shown in Fig.6.

The lid lifter illustrated herewith in Fig. l is shown in connectionwith a lid Ill of full friction type having a peripheral bead II whichoverlies a bead I2 formed -on the can body I3. The lifter which is asimple lever, is formed of relatively stiff sheet metal and comprisesgenerally a body portion I5 having formed at one end thereof, a key I6or spreader, and disposed oppositely therefrom, a retaining guide fingerI l. A finger piece IB formed on the opposite end of the body andprojecting radially inward, provides means by which It is thus theprimary object of the lifter may be rocked about a fulcrum formed bysaid key member I6 as will become apparent presently. In the preferredform of the invention, the body portion I5 includes an elongated flatstrip 263, an outer integral -depending side wall 2| (Fig. 2) and aninner depending side wall 22, of which the retaining guide nger I'Iforms a part. The side walls 2| and 22 are curved in the direction oftheir length and together with said strip V2l), form a channel 23, thewhole of which straddles the bead II of the lid (Fig. 4).

The wall 22 of the lifter, is disposed in close proximity to the sidesealing wall of the canY lid and the lower margin thereof projects wellwithin a circular groove 425 formed in the surface of the lid I 'whereit joins the side sealing wall. At least a portion of the guide I'I(Fig. 4) is at all times in contact with the inner wall or shoulder ofthe groove 25, thereby preventing the lifter from accidentally rockingabout the bead I! and twisting off of the beaded rim of the lid. f

The lifting key I6 or spreader, formed integrally with the lower edge ofthe wall 2| and at one end thereof, projects radially inward of the lidand takes under the bead II outwardly of the body portion I5 and channel23. The key is at and normally lies between'and in a plane parallel withthe beads II and I2 (Figs. 2 and 4). A lifting force applied to thefinger piece causes movement of the key about a horizontal axisextending radially of the lid for spreading or separating the beads andthereby raising the lid. The lifting of the lever causes the lower outeredge of the key I6 to become the fulcrum point, the inner upper edgebearing on the under side of the bead II to move the lid to the brokenline position shown in Fig. 2. Thus it will be noted, the entire liftingaction of the key takes place directly beneath the bead. The inner endof the key terminates short of the end of the strip 2t of the bodyportion to provide a space equal to at least the diameter of the bead inorder not to bind thereon as the lever is lifted to near verticalposition. Complete removal of the receptacle lid when particularly tighttting, requires at times more than one prying operation, therebynecessitating moving the lever to different points around thecircumference, which may be readily accomplished by sliding the lever tothe desired point.

In Fig. 5 the lever is shown applied to a single friction type plus,wherein a friction ring 26 is employed as a part of the can body 2l. Inthis type of container, the key I6 bears directly on the ring 26 andbead Il as the lid I 0 is forced upwardly.

The form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 is substantiallysimilar to that previously described wherein an arcuately shapedchanneled lever 30 overlies a peripheral bead 3l formed on a doublefriction type plug 32 or lid. The plug is adapted to seat in a frictionring 33 forming a part of the can body 34. The outer Wall of thechanneled lever 30 is provided at one end with a downwardly projectingcam 35 adapted to bear against the ring 33 and serve as a fulcrum forthe lever. A key 36 formed adjacent the cam and rearwardly thereof,projects radially inwardly taking under the bead` 3 I wherebyuponlifting the lever, the key and cam operate to raise the cover from thering. vA downwardlyvextending projection 31 formed on the'inner'wall ofthe lever opposite the cam 35 serves toretain it in operating positionand prevent accidental dislodgement while the cover is removed.

Modifications may be resortedv to within the spiirt and scope oftheappended claims.

I claim:

l. In combination, a pair of' separably connected members at least oneof which has a continuous peripheral bead in close proximity to theother member, a lever which is inverted U-shape in cross section andstraddles said beads, means for holding the lever against rockingmovement about its longitudinal axis and a spreader substantially at oneend of the lever, said spreader normally projecting into the spacebetween the bead and other member and operable upon swinging movement ofthe lever to further separate said bead and other member, said spreaderconsisting of a broad at finger extending transverse to the length ofthe lever toward said means holding the latter against rocking.

2. In combination, a pair of separably connected members at least oneof. which has a continuous peripheral bead in close proximity to theother member, a lever which is inverted U- shape in cross section andstraddles said bead, a finger at one end of the lever engaging thebeadedmember to secure the lever against rocking movement about itslongitudinal axis, a spreader substantially at said one end of thelever, said spreader extending transverse to the length of the lever andnormally projecting into the space between the bead and other member andoperable upon swinging movement of the lever to further separate saidbead and other member.

3. In combination, a pair of separably connected members at least one ofwhich has a continuous peripheral bead in close proximity to the othermember, a lever which is inverted U-shape in cross section and straddlessaid bead, means for holding the lever against rocking movement aboutits longitudinal axis, means substantially at one end of the leverprojecting into the space between the bead and other member and operableupon movement of the other end of the lever away from the bead foreffecting further separation of said bead andother member, said meansconsisting of a broad fiat spreader extending transverse to the lengthof the lever toward said means holding the latter against rocking, andan ear formed on the lever in proximity to said last named means andengaging one of said members to form a fulcrum about which the lever ismoved.

4. In combination, a pair of separably connected members at least one ofwhich has a continuous peripheral bead in close proximity to the othermember, a lever which is inverted U-shape in cross section and'straddlessaid bead, a ringer forming a part of said lever for holding it againstrocking movement about its longitudinal axis and a spreadersubstantiallyat one end of the lever, said spreader normally projectinginto the space between the bead and other member transverse to thelength of said lever and operable upon swinging movement of the lever tofurther separate said bead and other member, and anl ear formed on thelever in proximity to said last named means and engaging one of saidmembers to form a fulcrum about which the lever is moved.

HENRY E. FRANKENBERG.

